Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । मत्स्येन किं कृतं तात कूर्मेण मुनिसत्तम । वराहेण च किं कर्म नरसिंहेन किं कृतम्

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | matsyena kiṃ kṛtaṃ tāta kūrmeṇa munisattama | varāheṇa ca kiṃ karma narasiṃhena kiṃ kṛtam

Translation

尤提希提罗（Yudhiṣṭhira）说道：尊者啊，至上之牟尼！世尊化为摩蹉时成就了什么？化为龟时又作了什么？化为野猪有何事业，化为人狮又行了何事？

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मत्स्येन: by Matsya
• मत्स्येन: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive sense/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्स्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक (interrogative)

• कृतम्: was done
• कृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; भावे/कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘किं कृतम्’

• तात: O dear one/father
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• कूर्मेण: by Kūrma
• कूर्मेण: Karana (Instrument/Agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मुनिसत्तम: O best of sages
• मुनिसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मुनीनां सत्तमः)

• वराहेण: by Varāha
• वराहेण: Karana (Instrument/Agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वराह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Coordination/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक/conjunction)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• कर्म: deed/action
• कर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘किं कर्म’ = ‘what deed’

• नरसिंहेण: by Narasiṃha
• नरसिंहेण: Karana (Instrument/Agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + सिंह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• कृतम्: was done
• कृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The brāhmaṇa-sage addressed by Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, seated respectfully with folded hands, questions an aged brāhmaṇa-sage; palm-leaf manuscripts and a riverbank hermitage suggest a teaching setting.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Matsya
• Kūrma
• Varāha
• Narasiṃha
• Mārkaṇḍeya (implied addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is learned through humble inquiry; asking about divine deeds is presented as a legitimate path to understanding sacred history.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this question-verse; it prepares the avatāra explanations that support the Jayavārāha tīrtha context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an inquiry initiating doctrinal narration.